Seat



Sept. 30, 1941 V. WILLOUGHBY SEAT Filed May 9, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l IIIIIIIIIII View h/z BY ATTRNEY Sept. 30, 1941. v. wlLLouGHBY SEAT 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed May 9, 1938 Patented Sept. 30, 1941 Victor Willoughby, Ridgewood, N. J., assignor to American Car and Foundry Company, New- York, N. Y., a. corporation of New Jersey Application May 9, 1938, Serial No. 206,872

7 Claims.

This invention relates to seats in general and in particular to seats intended for use by motormen or for additional seating capacity during rush hours.

In the past seats of Aa general type have been constructed and hinged to the supporting structure in such a manner as to place a continual crushing pressure upon the cushioning material in the seat at all times when the seat was folded.

Seats of this type have also in the past been constructed with the upholstered portion more or less permanent requiring extensive repair Whenever the cushioning material needed replacement.

It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a simple seat arrangement Wherein the seat may be readily removed for reconditioning and repair or replacement.

l A further object of the invention is the provision of a seat having' a frame which, together torting forces being applied to the cushioned material.

These and other objects of the invention Will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial sectional view through a car showing the improved folding seat secured thereto; l

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the folding seat and adjacent car wall or supporting structure;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the folding seat shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and showing details of the seatconstruction; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken through the seat and showing details of the frame construction.

l Referring now to the drawings in detail it will be seen that the folding seat assembly is secured to a supporting structure such as a car Wall 2 above the heater or ventilatorduct Ilby means of hinge elements 6 and 8. In the present instance there are two hinge elements 6 adapted to receive hinge pins I0 extending through hinge elements I2 carried at the rear edge of the seat base plate I4. The seat base plate is pressed, or otherwise formed, from a single sheet of metal stiffened by downwardly directed front and side flanges I6 and has punched, or otherwise formed, in the upper surface a plurality of holes I8 adapted to receive J bolts 20 later to be referred to. The base plate is also provided-with lugs 22 adjacent its forward edge, which lugs are adapted to receive bolts or other means 24 pivotally carrying the ends of U-shaped supporting member 26. This U-shaped supporting member is preferably formed from an angle element having flanges disposed at right angles to each other with one flange 28 extended to receive the hinge bolts just referred to, while the other flanges 30 are directed toward each other and interconnected by means of a brace plate 32. The brace plate or bar has secured thereto substantially at its center a'hinge member 34 adapted to receive bolt or pin 36 pivotally carrying one end of tie bar 38, the other end of which is pivotally carried by bolt or pin 40 extending through hinge element 8 previously referred to.v In order to prevent injury to the floor, eliminate noise and absorb the shocks incident to lowering of the seat a rubber or other resilient buffer block 42 is bolted or otherwise secured to the Web portion of the U-shaped supporting member.

The upholstered portion of the seat or cushion is formed by a plurality of wooden or other frame members 50 having their ends notched as at 52 and secured together by nails or other securing means 54 (Figs. 3 and 5). As clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 these frame elements have their upper surfaces rounded as at 5S and are provided with transverse holes 58 adapted to receive the shoulder portion 60 of the J bolts, while the shank portion thereof vis adapted to extend downwardly through the holes I8 in the base plate and receive nuts 62 by means Yofwh'ich the frame may be securely held upon the base plate. After the frame isl completed va self-sustaining resilient main cushioning element '64, preferably made oi sponge rubber, such asthat soldl under the trade name of Dunlopillo manufactured and sold by the Dunlop lTire and Rubber Company of Buffalo, New York, is inserted inthe frame with its upper surface projecting thereabove, and'with the sides frictionally engaging the frame to hold the cushioning element in position. With the main cushioning element in position an auxiliary cushioning or padding element `66, preferably of some felt material, is laid over the frame and main cushioning element, after which a fabric,

artificial leather or similar cover 68 is applied into the space within the frame thus requiringv notching of the main cushioning element. Such a construction is desirable in order that the main cushioning element may be readily removed from .the frame without disturbing the auxiliary cushdamaged suciently to require replacement, a

new element may be readily inserted in the frame after the J bolts have beenreplacedinthe openings provided for the same in the wooden frame.

Attention is directed to the fact that' the hinge elements I2 are offset downwardly from their hinge pins as clearly shown in Fig. 1 in order that the seat when folded will have the top sur-l face of the cushion substantially parallel to the wall ror supporting structure, in which folded position Kline and dash Figc, 1 it is retained by means of locking hook 80 eng-aging over the seat base plate iiange and pivotally carried by the car wall or other supporting structure.` With theyseat in the'folded position release of the hook will permit the seat to swing outwardly and downwardly with the tie bar 38 positively placing the U-shaped support member 26 in its Yproper position and with the shock being absorbed by the vresilient buffer block upon -the lower edge of the support member.

WhileA the construction has been described more or less in detail, it is obvious that various modifications and; rearrangements of'parts may bey made without departing from the scope of lthe invention as defined bythe following claims.

What Vis claimedis:

1,'A folding seat construction for floored structures comprisingv a rigid seat base secured atone'end by. hinges'to a supporting structure above the oor; a supporting'member-hingedly secured to the seat base at the Iother'end and adapted to rest upon ,the oor of the structure, a tie `barpiv0tally connected y to Ythe supporting structure and support member to control the latter, and acushioned s eat un'it removably secured directly tothe'seat base with the cushioning material directly supported by the seat base, 'said first named hinges being offset anjamount' substantially equal tothe thickness ofthe cushioned seatunit and sofarranged that vthe cushioned seat unit. contacts" said supporting structureV and said seatV base assumes Va position' substantially parallel to'Y the'supporting structureY when the lseat is folded.

12.7A "folding seat construction for floored l structures comprising'a rigid'rsea't'base secured' at onejend byhingesv toafsupporting 'structure j 'above thev floor, a` supporting member hingedly secured'to the'seatv base`at"the"other end and adapted to rest upon the floorof the structure, a

tie bar pivotallyY connected to the YSupporting structure and support' member to lcontrol thev g latter, andra cushioned seat unit removably se-` cured directly to the seat base withrthe cushion-V ing material directly'supported by the seat base',

i saidy rst named hinges; being offsetsufficientlyV to p lace the hinge axis substantially in the plane ofthe upper surface Aof the cushioned'seatV unit.

l3. The `combination with afseat base, a frame, i main cushioning material lcompri'sing aunitary resilient mass positioned within the frame and p prillectingV thereabove, auxiliary cushioningr mal terialn covering, said main cushioning material Wlgame, y a protective, covering overlapping Saifluxliary ushipning material and frame,

and secured to the iindersurface of the frame, and J bolts removably clamping said frame upon the seat base with the main cushioning material in direct contact therewith whereby said main cushioning material is removable as a unit downwardly through the frame when the latter is free of the seat base.

Y 4. The combination with a seat base, a frame, main cushioning material of preformed sponge like rubber structure positioned within the frame and projecting thereabove, auxiliary cushioning material covering the top surface of said main cushioning material and frame, a protective covering overlapping said auxiliary cushioning material and frame and secured to the undersurface of the frame, and J bolts removably clamping said frame upon the seat base with the main cushioningfniaterial in direct contact therewith, said main "cushioning material being removable from said frame when free of the seat base without disturbing said protective covering and auxiliary cushioning materiall 5'.' vThe combination with a seat base, an open frame, main cushioningmaterial of self sustaining vpreformed unitary construction positioned 'within the frame and projecting thereabove,

auxiliary cushioning material covering and conning the top surface of said main cushioning material andthe top and sides of said frame, a protective rcovering overlappingy said auxiliary cushioningx'naterial and frame', said protective covering being turned over andV having means securing thesame to the frame, and clamping means removably clamping said frame and turned over portion of the protective covering upon .thev seat base, said main cushioning material being supported Vby direct contact-l with the seat base and being readily removable from lthe frame when the latter is ,free of the seat base.V

"6. The combination with a seat base, an open frame, self Ysustaining resilient main cushioning l 'i material positioned within the frame and projectin'gfthereabove', auxiliary cushioning material overlying and confining the top surface of said self sustaining resilient main cushioning matex rial and frame, securing means removably clamping said frame upon the seat base with the main cushioning material in direct contact therewith,v said self sustaining resilient main cushioning materialbeing removable as a unit from said open frame when the latter is Vfree of the seat base Without disturbing said auxiliary cushioning material.l

7. The combination with a seat base, anicipenV frame, Y.self sustaining sponge like rubber main cushioning material positioned within theframe with'thesid'es thereof frictionallyiengaging the same whereby it is retained in positiong'said main cushioning material projecting substantially above *saidV frame, auxiliary cushioning material overlying and confining said self sustain- ;i ing resilient. main cushioning material and eX- tending-"dcwnwardly over the side walls ofsaid frame, a fabric covering'overlapping said auxiliary 'cushioning material-'andframe and secured.

to the Abottom surface of the latter, securing f, means removably clamping said frame upon the seatbaseiwith the main cushioning material in directcontacttherewith, saidY self ysustaining re'-, s ilientjmain vcushioning materialbeing removablel asY ai, unit; downwardly through said open frame 1 whenjhelatteris freev of the seat base without' disturbing said auxiliary cushioning material'.v 'i 

